Central grad Kerrigan to speak at FCA event Thursday

MUNCIE – Ryan Kerrigan has done speaking engagements before. He spoke at a banquet while in college at Purdue University, and the Washington Redskins linebacker has also helped promote physical activity through the NFL’s Play 60 initiative.

Thursday night, though, will offer a new experience. That’s when Kerrigan will discuss his Christian faith in front of nearly 1,000 people at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes of East Central Indiana Home Team Funding Banquet, which is at 6:30 p.m. at the Horizon Convention Center in Muncie. The Central High School graduate and Purdue All-American is the keynote speaker.

“My faith has always been a private thing to me, and it still is,” Kerrigan said in a phone interview Tuesday night. “But I got approached by Jeff Mosier and just thought it would be a good time to talk about what makes me tick from a faith standpoint and from a life standpoint. It’ll be good to get out of my comfort zone a little bit.”

When Mosier, FCA’s area director in Muncie, reached out to Kerrigan, the former All-American at Purdue needed a little nudge to commit. But now that Kerrigan is locked in, he’s looking forward to it.

“I was a little hesitant at first, but my parents encouraged me to do it,” Kerrigan said. “They thought I had a lot to share and that it was a great idea.”

Kerrigan plans on drawing on his experiences as an athlete – which include four seasons so far with the Redskins – and who he is as a person in addressing the near-capacity crowd.

In the second consecutive year the banquet is at the Horizon Convention Center, Mosier got another marquee name after Indiana University men’s basketball coach Tom Crean spoke at last year’s event.

“(Kerrigan) isn’t an extremely outspoken person,” Mosier said, “but as the soon as opportunity presented itself, he was looking forward to coming back and having the opportunity to come to town.”

Winchester golfer Mackenzie Mehaffey and Frankton basketball players Cameron and Connor Bates will open the evening in prayer, while Burris basketball player Isaac Miller will close the event in prayer.

FCA staff members Lisa Blalock, Central’s girls basketball coach, and Kate Hillman, a former diver at IU, will also speak.

Mosier is expecting about 920 guests. Those attending are encouraged to arrive early due to heavy construction in downtown Muncie. Doors open to the public at 6 p.m.

“We’re really excited about it,” Mosier said. “… To be able to see the community to come out and support (FCA) in such large numbers, it’s humbling. It’s very encouraging to see so many want to come out and support it.”